LHU Baseball erupts for 17 runs in game two, earns split at Kutztown

KUTZTOWN – The Lock Haven baseball team recorded a season-high 19 hits on its way to a 17-11 victory in game two of a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader at Kutztown University on Sunday afternoon (April 7), earning a split after falling in game one, 6-5.

The Bald Eagles move to 7-25 overall and 4-16 in the PSAC East, while Kutztown slides to 12-20 overall and 6-10 in conference. The Golden Bears won the season series, 3-1, after sweeping the doubleheader in Lock Haven on Friday.

Despite the series outcome, the Bald Eagles have found something on offense and were clicking all weekend long.

After outhitting the Golden Bears 11-10 in game one, Lock Haven racked up a season-high 19 hits in the nightcap. Seven players recorded multiple hits, while eight players drove in runs and Greg Cristino (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial) and Jaxson Pupo (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County) homered.

Game 2 Recap: Lock Haven 17, Kutztown 11

In a high-scoring affair in the nightcap, the Bald Eagles scored in every inning but two, including six runs in the fourth and five runs in the top of the seventh to put the game away.

Kutztown rallied for six runs during its final at-bats, but the Bald Eagle lead proved to be too much.

Cristino, Francisco Taveras (Muhlenberg, Pa./Muhlenberg), Lance Baldensperger (Warren, Pa./Warren) recorded three hits each and combined for six RBIs.

Five of the Bald Eagles hits went for extra bases as Cristino and Pupo (3 RBIs) blasted home runs and Taveras, Nick White (Halethorpe, Md./Lansdowne) and Jake Ambrosio (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) (3 RBIs) all recorded doubles. Dante Bruno (Telford, Pa/Souderton Area) added a pair of RBIs.

Will Stambaugh (Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff ) was the winning pitcher for Lock Haven after throwing six-complete innings, allowing five earned runs and striking out five hitters.

Game 1 Recap: Kutztown 6, Lock Haven 5

In game one, Kutztown scored four runs in the bottom of the second and withstood a late-inning Bald Eagles’ rally to steal the victory, 6-5.

Trailing 6-2 and down to their final two at-bats, the Bald Eagles rallied for three runs to cut the deficit to 6-5, but Kutztown got out of the jam with the lead intact.

Lock Haven led the contest with 11 hits as eight different players found the hit column for Lock Haven, led by a 3-for-4 day from Zachary McEllroy (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) and a 2-for-3 effort from Bruno.

Four Bald Eagles drove in runs, while Cristino, White and Cam Gracey Spring (Grove/Elementary Education) all picked up doubles.

Up Next for Lock Haven:

The Bald Eagles kick off a four-game PSAC East series with Shippensburg on Friday (April 12) with a 1 p.m. road doubleheader.